We’re taking a little departure from your usual summer fare here! I lurrrve me some Greek food! There was a fantastic restaurant in Greektown in Chicago that I frequented when I lived there. I remember the grilled octopus and nothing else, honestly. It tasted vaguely of charcoal and the ocean, and it was so tender and dressed in something buttery and fragrant. I wish I knew how it was prepared! I remember also going to a Greek club at that time and being hopelessly enamored of the beautiful people that were there. The women all seemed to have glossy hair and exotic eyes, and the guys wore their shirts open an extra button. I found that entirely sexy at the time, haha! It was like nothing my little midwestern self had ever seen before. And so began my love of Greek food.

If you’re squeamish about using lamb, don’t be! These are totally accessible because they’re blended with good, ole beef! It’s what’s for dinner 🙂 I like adding some feta and the mint gives these a beautiful “tail-wind” of freshness (as my dear husband describes it). These are AWESOME on the grill, just make sure you’re gentle laying them down and brush everything, grates and the kebabs themselves with a generous amount of olive oil. If you’re hesitant and don’t want to mess up your hair in the constant Kansas wind, just throw them on a rack over a baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes or until cooked through and browned on top. Yum! Don’t neglect the fresh tzasiki sauce!

You will need:

• 1 lb ground lamb
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 3 TBS chopped fresh mint
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 oz feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 2 cloves grated garlic
• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp pepper

• Olive oil for brushing (if grilling)
• Fresh lemon for squeezing

If roasting preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Pour the milk and breadcrumbs into a bowl and let them tango together for 5 minutes. Add in the beef, lamb, egg, mint, garlic, and seasonings. Mix together with your hands until just combined.

Form the meat mixture into mini meat loaves* and insert a flat skewer into one end, directly through the middle. If baking, place kebabs on a wire rack over a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes or until cooked through and browned on top.

If grilling, brush grates and kebabs with a generous amount of olive oil and gently place on the grill. Don’t move them until they release easily from the grates! You might have to coax them a bit, just be gentle. Flip and cook on the other side. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon and dip in tzaziki sauce. You could use lettuce cups to slide the meat off the stick and enjoy it as a lettuce wrap. Or do the same thing with some toasted pita bread. Opa!

**** Mom’s note: I took these off the stick and just cut them up into little morsels with some ketchup (gasp!!!!!) and um, rebranded them as “meatloaf” to my kiddos. They ate it up!